


oh how i miss your touch

by thegoatz



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22538191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegoatz/pseuds/thegoatz
Summary: "Please stay."Kane doesn't say anything, but Daniel knows that he will, and Daniel doesn't know how he'll last if he doesn't, but judging by the look in Kane's eyes, he doesn't think he has to worry about that.
Relationships: Daniel Bryan/Kane
Kudos: 17





	oh how i miss your touch

Daniel knows that it's the right thing to do. He knows. But that doesn't make it any easier.

He needs to further his career, he needs to be the best that he can be, and more, he needs to do what's right for him, but what's right for him feels so wrong. Kane won't take it the right way, that much is obvious, but he needs to do what is right for him, and Kane should understand that.

He should, and Daniel wants him to understand, he doesn't want there to be bad blood between the two of them. He trusts Kane, he does, wholly and completely, and that sort of trust doesn't come very often. He doesn't want to ruin it like he has ruined so many things before: he doesn't want to corrupt their relationship with his selfish words.

He doesn't want to see the way Kane looks at him: full of adoration, and pride, turn into looks of hate and disgust; if that happens, he doesn't know how he'll live with himself. He has to prepare himself, because whilst he knows that he's doing what's right, it's not easy. He went over, and over, and over, again in his mind just what to say, making sure the wording was as good as it could possibly be because he doesn't know what he'll do if Kane hates him afterwards. He couldn't bear to see yet another person that he trusts, that he loves, turn on him.

Daniel has never been good at picking the right time to say things. He says it when they're both backstage, the moment isn't right, and he realises that after it's too late but when he starts, he just can't stop, and so he blurts it out, Kane gives him a look that he already starts to detest, but he's too far gone to back down. Kane's eyes peer into his, and the intensity of them makes Daniel forget everything that he's remembered.

He tells him that he doesn't think they should be a team anymore, and the confusion in Kane's eyes, it makes Daniel's heart ache.

Daniel says how he needs to focus on himself, and a part of him wants Kane to grab him by the shoulders and refuse, and Daniel knows that if he did, he would agree in an instant because he would take even the smallest excuse to forget everything he's said and go with Kane like he wants to. Kane doesn't say anything at first, and Daniel silently begs him to. 

"Are we done? Is this it?" Kane says, and Daniel feels his heart cry.

"I don't know," Daniel replies, his heart bleeding, sobbing, breaking in his chest. His eyes plead with Kane, but for what, neither of them know.

"I don't know either."

It's only when Kane says those words that Daniel truly, finally, understands what's happening, and he knows that he's the one who broke them, but he doesn't want to let Kane go.

"I don't want us to be over, but I need to focus on my career, please say that you understand."

Kane looks... hurt, he looks dejected, frustrated, disappointed but there's something else that Daniel can't make out, and it makes his throat dry up and words hard to say. Daniel realises he doesn't want Kane to feel this way and he realises that he'll do anything to make it stop.

There always was a spark between them, just waiting to ignite a bigger flame, and it's almost like Daniel could feel it get snuffed out. His heart broke and fractured more and more with every passing second, and it took every ounce of strength for him not to reach out to grab him, to tell him that he's sorry, that he made a mistake, to beg that Kane would forgive him. He knows that he needs to do what's best for him, but what's best for him didn't feel like it was if Kane wasn't there by his side.

"I do understand," he says, his deep voice travelling down Daniel's spine, "and I wish you luck with your career Daniel," and Daniel can hear the venom laced in with the honesty of his words. Kane is being genuine with his words, Daniel knows that he believes that, but he can hear the hurt in Kane's voice, and Daniel decides that he does not like it, not one little bit.

Daniel wants to reach out to him, he wants to grab onto his shirt, to feel the fabric curled in his fist, and he doesn't want to let go. He wants Kane to look at him, he wants Kane's eyes, so bright and vulnerable, to look, and to see that Daniel loves him: he loves him so very much. Daniel wants nothing more than to look, to really, really, look into Kane's eyes and see the emotions that swirl in there, to see if he could see Kane's own love in there, and Daniel is more hesitant than not to admit that Kane's eyes are some of his favourite things to look into.

There's a certain sincerity in them, and they never fail to make Daniel's breath hitch and get caught in his throat. Too many times, Daniel had been caught staring into the beauty of them, coming up with a stuttering excuse that never convinced anybody. He was always so flustered around Kane, and now, when faced with the possibility that he might not get to see him anymore, he is even more reluctant to let him go.

Kane turns to leave, and Daniel wants to say something, but the words don't form in his mind, and the moment passes.

As soon as Kane leaves his eyesight, a sudden misery befalls him, and he becomes embedded in it. It surrounds him: devours him whole. 

He is undone. 

Daniel knows that he's doing what is right, he knows that he has to focus on himself, but knowing that doesn't help the way that his heart hurts, and his stomach drops. It doesn't help the way that he feels like his whole world is collapsing on him, knowing that he was the one who caused it.

His heart is solemn, it is fractured, and Daniel doesn't know if it'll ever be whole again.

Time passes, and new enemies, and new allies, are made. He doesn't think that he can call them friends, he doesn't trust them enough for that, but after Kane left, Daniel had a hard time trusting anyone. There are still some nights when the loneliness is more overwhelming than others, when the hole in his chest, the wound that still hasn't healed, is more prominent than normal. 

_Oh_ , how he misses Kane's touch.

The pressure of Kane's hand against his skin, digging into his arm, or placed gently on the small of his back as Kane held him, bringing him so close as if though he can't bear to be without him, or maybe even the soft brush of Kane's hand against his cheek. He missed it all.

And on the days when the absence of Kane's touch is too much to bear, Daniel tries to seek him out, for he always did have poor self-control. Nearly every single time he's tried it before, Daniel hasn't been able to find him, leaving him even more bereft, if that was even possible.

But this time, Daniel found him. He knew straight away that something was up, for he knew that Kane could easily hide from him if he wanted to, and the fact that Daniel was looking at Kane, right in those eyes that he thought he'd never see again, he knew that Kane had wanted himself to be found.

Daniel was, obviously, surprised: all these countless hours searching for him without any luck, he had kind of gotten used to returning back to his room without seeing the man that he craved like no other. Neither of them said anything at first; Daniel's mind was still trying to comprehend that Kane was right there, in front of him. His mouth opened and shut, nothing other than stuttered words coming out of his mouth, and Daniel half expected Kane to laugh at him: he would much prefer that Kane did that rather than the soulless stare that he was giving him now.

Eventually, Daniel stutters out Kane's name, it's strangled and broken slightly and feels almost foreign in his mouth, but it's only when he hears Daniel's voice that he reacts. He walks towards Daniel, his steps careful and cautious, never taking his eyes off of him. He only stops when he's directly in front of Daniel, looming over him.

He's so close that Daniel could touch him and, oh, how he wants to do that. His fingers itch and long to touch his skin, to smooth over every muscle, to rediscover everything about Kane's body that his body forgot. But yet he does nothing.

"What are you doing here?" Kane asks, his voice low, and there's something in there that Daniel just can't make out. The question startles him, and it stings, only to bitterly remind him that he was the one who broke off his and Kane's relationship.

He should have expected Kane to be cold towards him, he should have, but that doesn't make the pain any less easy to bear.

Kane looks at him like he expects a response, and Daniel immediately tries to think of the answer. To find Kane, would be the honest one, but even thinking it makes him feel embarrassed.

"I- I couldn't sleep," he says. It wasn't a complete lie, as he hadn't truly been able to sleep properly ever since he and Kane went their separate ways, but it wasn't the complete truth either.

Judging by the way that Kane was looking at him, he didn't fully believe Daniel, and his piercing stare made Daniel shift uncomfortably on his feet. Daniel forced himself to look Kane directly in his eyes and had to remind himself how to breathe as those beautiful eyes stare into him.

It's in that moment, that Daniel finally realises that he loves Kane so unbelievably much that it hurts, and he aches.

"Why can't you sleep?"

Because I missed you, Daniel wants to say, but instead bites down hard on his tongue, and swears he can faintly taste copper. He shrugs his shoulders, not fully trusting himself to speak.

"Did something happen?" Kane asks, and Daniel has to fight the smile that tries to etch itself onto his face. No matter what happens to him, he still finds a way to be protective over Daniel. When he remembers that Kane still does this even after all that Daniel's put him through, the smile doesn't find its way to his face anymore.

He doesn't want this. It just doesn't feel normal, it doesn't feel right, not even after Daniel convinced himself that it was. Seeing Kane in front of him makes Daniel think back to all the missed opportunities, back to all the times when he should have been kinder when he should have been more compassionate when he should have been better.

He thinks back to all the times when he was too focused on himself and he just wishes he could go back and change what he did. He just wishes he could go back and stop himself from ever thinking that he could live without Kane.

"Nothing happened, just one of those nights, I suppose."

Kane nods and they both stand in silence. Both of them want to say something, but the words don't form. Daniel knows that if he doesn't take his chance, he might not be able to speak to him like this again, and the thought makes his stomach twist and churn uncomfortably.

"It's just-" he starts, all words proceeding that failing to form.

Kane gives him a curious look, his piercing blue eyes peering into him and Daniel tries to hide the way that his breath hitches.

"I missed you," Daniel says, realising that there's no point in trying to sugar coat it.

Kane doesn't give Daniel as much of a reaction as he had hoped, he's not surprised, he's not angry, he's not confused, and Daniel considers it a plus, but he's not exactly happy either. Embarrassment suddenly overtakes him, and he stutters over something else to say.

"I've just been so alone lately, and it just doesn't feel right without you anymore."

"I thought you wanted to focus on your career."

"I do but I just... want you back. I- I was foolish and self-centred, and I'm sorry."

The words pour out of him now, and by the way that Daniel's eyes peer up at him, so round and expressive, so honest and open, Kane can tell that Daniel isn't lying. The urge to comfort him is stronger than ever, and Kane has to stop himself from reaching out to Daniel.

Daniel takes a tentative step towards Kane, and he swears that his heart is beating so loudly that Kane could possibly hear it too. They're so close now, and if he wanted to, Kane could reach out and touch him, and he does, he really, really, does want to touch him, and with every second that passes, it gets harder and harder to resist.

"It was so stupid of me to believe that I could live without you by my side," 

Kane gives in at that moment, and reaches forward, ever so gently cupping Daniel's cheek, his thumb softly brushing under Daniel's eye. Daniel looks up at him, his eyes begging for forgiveness, and when Daniel looks at him like that, there was never any doubt that Kane could ever hold any ill will towards him. Daniel brings up a hand and places it on top of Kane's. It's almost comical how much smaller Daniel's hand is compared to Kane's, but even so, Daniel's fingers wrap around Kane's hand like he's clinging to his lifeline.

"If you don't want me to, I won't leave," Kane says, his voice so quiet, that it's barely even audible, but for Daniel, it sounds like it's being shouted at him, and he swears he can fill his heart fill up with warmth. Even after all this time, even after all that Daniel's put him through, Kane is still willing to stay by his side. Daniel doesn't know how he was lucky enough to find someone like him.

If someone, all those years ago, had told him that he would eventually fall in love with the very person that he had once detested with his entire being, Daniel would have laughed in their face.

But here he is now, so very close to Kane, radiating in his warmth, and he feels like his heart is going to burst.

"Please stay."

Kane doesn't say anything, but Daniel knows that he will, and Daniel doesn't know how he'll last if he doesn't, but judging by the look in Kane's eyes, he doesn't think he has to worry about that.


End file.
